Fixing the Old
by DirectKai7
Summary: Swazi still feels guilty about what happened, and tries to fix it. Meanwhile, Direct runs into an old 'friend' and a fight ensues.


Swazi crept silently towards the exit, not even bothering to glance back. For weeks now she couldn't get that Ninetails and Vulpix out of her mind. Of course it was her duty to fight back in order to protect Direct, but that didn't change the fact that what they did was wrong.

Their 'base' was barely light as Swazi exited. She could see only a small part of the sun on the horizon and knew Direct wouldn't notice she was gone for a few hours. _Now, to find what I promised, _Swazi thought as she walked off.

By the time Swazi was even halfway to her destination, the sun was fully in the sky, shining bright. She ignored the soreness from walking so long and continued towards the one place she knew she could find a Fire Stone. Luckily for her, she knew the Pokemon who would help her.

"Swazi? Is that you?" a voice came from in front of her and Swazi looked up to see a Glaceon standing in her path.

"Hello! Yeah, it's me." Swazi answered in a cheerful voice. She didn't know this Glaceon very well but had met her a few times before. Though that was so long ago… Swazi's mind wandered off to the times she had before she moved to Tao. _That was before I met…Direct, _she thought. She knew he was probably awake by now and turned her thoughts back to the Glaceon in front of her.

Direct blinked open his eyes, looking around the now bright room. The first thing he noticed was Swazi's empty bed.

"Where the heck could she have gone?" he thought.

Direct got up and walked towards the exit, no longer seeming to care where she was. He had a day to himself after all! This was finally his chance to prove he could make it on his own.

"So Swazi, did you come here for something? I thought you were on a team now," Glaceon asked. The two pokemon sat not far from the path Swazi used.

"Yeah actually I did. I need to find a Fire Stone." Swazi said. Her expression warned Glaceon that she didn't want to be asked questions.

"Ok sure! We can take you to the Firestone and I'm sure we will find a separate piece somewhere along the way," Glaceon said.

The two pokemon got up and walked towards a cliff not far away. Swazi let the memories rush over her as the giant Pidgeot flew up, a Lucario on its back.

"You ready?" Glaceon asked with a smile. Glaceon had probably done this a million times and Swazi's memory of her own first time was etched in her mind. She nodded at the Glaceon, determination now filling her gaze as she leaped onto the Pidgeot's back.

Direct walked carefully through the town, not even sure why. All he knew was that something felt very different today, and it wasn't caused by Swazi's absence.

Finally, when he thought the whole place was empty, he saw a crowd ahead and ran to join them.

"So I see you came, did you?" a very familiar voice came from nearby and sent chills through Direct's body.

A small heat sensation crept over Swazi as she walked closer and closer to the Firestone. Glaceon, used to the heat, walked ahead, seeing if she could spot any Fire Stones. Swazi could already see the huge stone glowing a long way away and the sight amazed her.

"There!" Glaceon ran towards a chunk of the giant stone as Swazi followed behind.

"Not so fast!" a beam of heat and flames shot towards the Glaceon and rammed into her before she could even move. The Pokemon was blasted against a nearby rock, which cracked as she collided with it.

Swazi ran in front of the fallen pokemon and faced the direction of the attack. Not even a second later, a huge Heatmor stepped towards the two.

"No one but me can take these stones!" It yelled. The giant beat charged forward using Slash, aiming right for Swazi. Not expecting the move, the Heatmor slammed into her with full power, almost knocking her out.

"You have no right to keep all these stones to yourself" Glaceon said, slowly standing as she winced in pain. A beam of ice shot from her mouth and hit the giant Heatmor, knocking it back only a little bit.

Swazi sat up as Glaceon fought against the pokemon. She felt like she couldn't move well but slowly inched her way behind the Heatmor.

"Go Swazi! Take a Fire Stone and go!" Glaceon said through clenched teeth. The Heatmor concentrated on the Glaceon, giving Swazi a perfect opportunity to grab the stone.

Aiming a Dragon Breath attack at the monster, Swazi ran as fast as she could away from the area. She knew better then to disobey Glaceon but desperately wanted to help her more.

"You… what are you doing here?" Direct snarled. He snarled as he turned around. Swey stood in his path, looking at him with a smirk.

"What? Am I not allowed here?" Swey asked sarcastically as Direct growled at him. It took all his energy not to leap at him.

"…" Direct was speechless from anger. He couldn't get over what had happened and figured he never would. The two pokemon never liked each other from the start and now they hated each other.

"So, I'm guessing your new partner left you then?" Swey said, looking away with a serious expression. Direct glared at him, not knowing what to say. Swazi WAS gone and he wasn't even sure if she would come back.

"I guess that means yes," Swey laughed at Direct.

"That's it!" Direct yelled as he leapt towards Swey, using Faint Attack quickly. Swey moved out of the way and countered with Pursuit, hitting Direct backwards.

Swazi walked slowly back towards the town, sad about Glaceon and still left with no energy. She still had to locate the Vulpix and Ninetails and knew they might try to fight her. She slowed her pace as these thoughts entered her mind. _If I don't regain my strength I might be defeated quickly, _she thought.

The Deino ignored this fact and walked on, determined to finish her journey. Her exhaustion started to slip away, beat by her determined mind.

Finally, she returned. Right back to the area they had first seen the Vulpix. Swazi had no idea where to find them, but she hoped the Vulpix would return to this same area. It was a pretty common place to come.

Sure enough, she spotted the same Vulpix walking towards the shop, a large bag dangling from her jaws. Swazi took a step forward and knew there was no turning back.

Direct felt beaten. Swey had knocked him back with such force that Direct knew he had him beat. But Direct's anger kept him up and fighting, making sure to be careful now.

Direct stood watching Swey, not sure what to do. Swey was SO much stronger then he thought, and he knew that this was his true strength. Finally, he shot a flamethrower at the Zorua, hoping to finally make contact.

"You know you can't win," Swey said with a serious and knowing voice. He walked towards Direct, leaving the Houndour motionless.

Direct didn't know what to do. His fighting spirit died away and he stayed still as the Zorua approached.

"Maybe this will keep you away," Direct realized what was happening to late and Swey sliced his claws down. Direct moved barely in time and the Zorua's claws hit his scarf, shredding part of it. But Swey was waiting. As Direct turned away, the Zorua swiped upward quickly and got his eye, causing Direct to cry out.

"What did you do!" Direct shouted at the Zorua, who stood over him with a distant, yet calm, gaze. Before Direct could even notice, the Zorua disappeared in the other direction, quickly yet calm.

"You again?" The Vulpix turned towards the Deino, crouching down in a battle ready position.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to steal from you or fight. That was my partner who did that. I can here for another reason," Swazi said calmly and soft. She made sure her voice sounded friendly as she explained.

"Then why are you here?" the Vulpix sat down, annoyance in her voice. She sighed as she waited for the Deino to speak.

"Well…"

"Is that Deino and its friends bothering you AGAIN?" the Ninetails appeared nearby, marching towards the two pokemon with a furious glare. Swazi backed up, concern in her gaze.

"No, I'm here to…"

"Be quiet! I know you are here to bully my sister and you better hope you're ready!" the Ninetails was clearly furious at the sight of Swazi as she stepped near the Deino.

Swazi realized the Ninetails wouldn't listen so instead she took out the Fire stone and pushed it towards the Vulpix. Both pokemon stared wide-eyed at the stone, not even sure what to think.

"Here. I promised you I would bring this and I did," Swazi said. She felt so tired that her patience was thin.

The Vulpix walked forward and touched the stone, feeling the power held within. Soon, she started to change. Many more tails grew out of her and she grew to twice her old size. Soon, she was fully evolved into a beautiful Ninetails.

"Finally, I can evolve!" the newly evolved Ninetails stated. She looked towards Swazi with a grateful gaze.

"Sorry for doubting you," her sister said apologetically.

"It's my fault. I should have stopped my partner from stealing from you. But I must go now," Swazi walked off, and the two Ninetails watched her with a confused gaze.

_Now to find Direct, _she thought.

Direct stomped off in the opposite direction, trying to control his anger, now duplicated by his pain. He didn't even care if Swazi returned anymore since he now felt alone. _I must get stronger alone now, without a partner. Swey will regret this, _Direct angrily ran off.

Behind him, he heard a voice calling his name and he knew it was Swazi but he ignored her pleas and continued on.


End file.
